Armature assembling machine



March 17, 1953 M. E. TODD 2,631,362

ARMATURE ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1947 10 Sheets-Sheet l March 17, 1953 E. TODD 2,631,362

ARMATURE ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1947 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

March 17, 1953 M. E. TODD ARMATURE ASSEMBLING MACHINE 1O Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 10, 1947 IN VEN TOR.

March 17, 1953 M. E. TODD 2,631,362

ARMATURE ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1947 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 7! INVENTOR.

BY Zia/5% March 17, 1953 M. E. TODD 2,631,362

ARMATURE ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1947 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

March 17, 1953 M. E. TODD ARMATURE ASSEMBLING MACHINE l0 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Oct. 10, 1947 INVENTOR.

G716 wi" March 17, 1953 M. E. TODD 2,631,362

ARMATURE. ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 10, 1947 10 Sheets-Sheet 10 Patented Mar. 17, 1953 ARMATURE ASSEMBLING MACHINE Max E. Todd, Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 10, 1947, Serial No. 779,045

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of armatures with a single turn bar winding known member which has been manually loaded with hairpins in nesting relation is placed upon the workholder, and the lower support is elevated toward the upper support Where fingers are caused to move radially in toward the hairpins to hold them in nesting relation independently of the nesting device on the lower support. The lower support is then moved down carrying with it the empty nesting device. The nesting device is removed from the lower support and an armature core is placed in the workholder of the lower support. The lower support is elevated to cause the lower ends of the hairpins to enter into the core slots. The ram located above the upper support is caused to move down to push the hairpins through the core slots. Just before the ram engages the hairpin yokes, the lower support is automatically latched in upper position by members which take the thrust of the ram upon the hairpins. Concurrently with the downward ram is elevated and concurrently the lower support is unlatched. The lower support moves down and the armature core assembled with hairpins is removed from the workholder of the lower support.

Further objects and advantages of th present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a side view looking in the direction of arrow 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view looking in the direction of arrow 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 6-A and 6-13 are sectional views on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 and show the parts in different positions;

Figs. 'l-A and 7-H are fragmentary views looking in the direction of arrow 1 of Fig. G-A and 6-3 showing the parts in different positions;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 99 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view looking in the direction of arrow 10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is an enlargement of that portion of Fig. 9 included in the dot-dash circle ll Fig. 11A is a fragmentary view in the direction of arrow I A of Fig. 11. v

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the nesting device;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on the line |3-l3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing a nesting device supported upon a receptacle of the lower support and the lower support elevated to the upper support through which the hairpins extend.

Fig. 15 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing the hairpins engaged by fingers on the upper support.

Fig. 16 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing the core within the receptacle of the lower support.

- Fig. 17 (left half) shows the lower support carrying the armature core in elevated position with the ram starting to engage the hairpins;

Fig. 17 (right half) is a similar view showing the ram moving down to force .the hairpins through the armature core;

Figs. 18 and 19 drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 17, are fragmentary sectional views on the line l8-l8 of Fig. 1'7, showing respectively the fingers on the upper support engaging the hairpins and the fingers out of engagement with the hairpins.

Fig. 20 (left half) and Fig. 20 (right half) show, respectively, the beginning and the ending of the operation of stripping the workholder from the hairpins assembled with the armature.

Fig. 21 is a sectional view on line 2l2l, of Fig. 20 (left half).

Figs. 22 and 23 are plan and end views, respectively, of a part shown in Fig. 21.

Referring to Fig. 1, the machine comprises a boxlike frame 20 which includes a base 2|, sides 22, front panel 23 and a top 24.

Referring to Fig. 9, the top 24 supports bushings 25 for receiving respectively rods or posts 26, 21 and 28 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) which are secured at the bottom by nuts 29 (Fig. 9). Posts 26 and 2! serve as guides for a vertical movable lower support 36 comprising plates 3| and 32 connected by sleeves 33 provided with bearings 34 and.

' the plate 32.

device 50 (Figs. 12 and 13) as shown in Fig. 14

and the workholder provides a radially notched flange 42 (see also Fig. which supports an armature core ac assembled with a shaft S"(Fig. 16). The notches 42a receive the branches of the hairpins H to be assembled with the core.

Referring to Fig. 5, plate 3| supports guides 43 for latch bars M which are urged toward each other by springs 45 retained within brackets 40. Bars 44 have lugs Me which will extend over the nesting device 50 when the lower support a 30 iselevated. Normally the bars 44 are retracted as shown in Fig. 5 by reason of location 'of the cam blocks 4'! which engage surface 44b of bars 44 when the lower support 30 is down.

-In this case the rods 51a which provide the. cams 4'! are bottomed on members 24a attached to plate 24. The rods slide in bushings 31a and 3|b provided respectively by plates 3| and 32.

When the lower support 30 moves up, as shown in Fig. 14, springs 48 are permitted to expand and push down on collars 55a attached to the rods until collars 49b attached to the rods strike Then the nesting member 55 is latched upon the workholder 40.

. Nesting member 50 comprises a base 5| to which screws 52 attach a disc 53 having grooves 53a and a .disc 54 having grooves 54a in alignment with the grooves 53a and holes 55 in radial alignment with the notches. Fig. 14 shows in its .upper position the nesting device 50 loaded with hairpins H, the parallel branches of which are in alignment with the notches 42a of flange 42 (Figs. 5 and 14). The nesting device 50 is ,loaded (as shown in Fig. 14) when resting upon a ring 60 located on a suitable support 6|. The extensions SI!) of the plate 5| serve as handles by which the nesting device loaded with hairpins can be lifted and placed upon the workholder 40 when the lower sup ort an is down, asshown in Fig. 9. The nesting device 50 is located by a pin 5|a attached to plate 5| and received. by a hole 4|a drilled through the sur- Uiace 4| of the workholder 40.

By admitting pressure fluid to the lower end of the cylinder B,;lower support 30 moves the nesting device loaded with hairpins H into the position shown in Fig. 14; and, during upward movement of support 30 the latch bars 44 are permitted to H has a circular opening which receives a ring 13. which supports above it a ring 14 with screws I5 (Fig. 4) which attach to the ring 13. Within the ring '|3'there are located a cover plate 16 and a cam plate 11 which, as shown in Fig. 4,

is provided with cam slots 18, each for receiving a pin 19. Each pin 19 is attached to a bar 80 i which is notched at its inner end to provide resilient fingers 8|. The bars 80 are guided by radial grooves provided by a plate 82 which screws 83 attach to ring 13. The cover plate is connected with the cam plate 11 by dowel pins 84 and screws 85 which connect an arcuate plate with the cam plate TI. The arcuate plate provides a handle 81. There is also connected with the cam plate 11 a stud 88 pivotally supporting a roller 09. .When' the handle 81 is in the position shown in Fig. 4 the bars 80 will be retracted as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 19. By turning the handle 81 and plate 11 clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 4, the bars 80 move inwardly as shown in Fig. 18, so that they will frictionally engage the branches h of the hairpins H, and'will maintain them in the same positions as determined by the nesting device :50. .The device 50 is then lowered by admitting pressure fluid to the top end of the cylinder B'which causes the lower support 30 to return to the position shown in Fig. 9. The nesting device 50 is then removed "from :the workholder 50 and an armature core ac (Fig. 16) is placed therein. The core ac is properly'located-in the workholder by virtue of engagement, of core teeth with locators I20 (Fig. 11) which are movable in radial slots at 4| 1) and between L-shaped members |2| and |2|" (Fig. 11) welded to the workhdlder. Springs I23 urge the locators I20 inwardly against the'members |2| and |2|', said springs I23 being retained by plugs I22 threaded in to the workholder (also Fig. 11A). Then pressure fluid is admitted to the lower end of cylinder B to cause the lower support 30 to move into the position shown in Fig. 17. The core ac is lifted far enough to receive just the lower end portions of the hairpin bars H. Then pressure fluid is admitted up in the top end of the cylinder A which, as shown in Fig. 8, is supported by a plate 90 supported by the posts 26, 21 and 28 (Fig. 3) and retained by nuts 9|. The piston rod 92 attached to a piston within cylinder A is connected by coupling 93 with a tubular ram 94 guided by a bracket 95 attached to the plate90 and supporting a plate 96 through which the posts26, 2'! and 28 extend. The ram 94 supports a ram. head 91 having an annular groove 98 for engaging the yokes y of the hairpins H (Fig. 14). A screw 99 connects a block I00 with ram .94. Block I00 is connected with a cam |0| by the head of a screw I02 received by T slot 03 in cam |0| and threaded in block I00. By a wrench applied to its square end 102a, the screw I 02 can be turned toraise or lower the cam ,|0| to adjust it relative tothe roller H0. The cam I01 is locked in the desired position bytightening a lock nut I022).

During downward movement of ram 94, the head 91' engages the hairpin yokes y in order to force the hairpins H. down through the slots of the armature core ac as indicated in the right half of Fig. 17. The lower ends of these hairpins extend down through the, notches 42a of the flange 42 of workholder 40. However before the head 91 can pass through the vplane of fingers 80, it is necessary to retract them. I This. is accomplished automatically by the engagement of cam [ill with a roller I I0 pivotally supported: on a pin l I carried by a bar l 2 guided in the-bearing I I3 provided by a bracket 95. As the cam |0l moves down, the rod 2 moves left, thereby moving counterclockwise a lever I I4 pivoted on a rod H5, supported by a bracket I16 .mountedon the plate N. This motion of lever H4 is resisted by a spring I! connected with the lever and theplate 96. As thelever 4 moves counterclockwiseit pushes to the right a bar I I8 guided by.a:bracket H6 and having cam surfaces H9 and I (Fig. 4)

II8 moves in to cause the roller 89 to move from the position indicated at 89' in dot and dash circle to the full line position 80 thereby returning the cam plate TI to its original position which causes the finger bars 80 to move out, as shown in Fi 19.

During downward movement of the ram to force the hairpins through the armature core it is desirable to support the core by means other than the fluid pressure underneath the piston and cylinder B which holds the support up.

This additional support is provided through the medium of bars I30 (Fig. 9) pivotaliy supported on pins I3I carried by bracket I32 fastened to the under side of the plate 32.

Bars I30 extend through openings i33 which allow the bars to swing on their pivots slightly. The nuts 29 (Fig.

9) clamp plates I34 against the lower ends of bushings 25. Each plate I34 houses a spring I35 retained by a plu I36 and urging to the right a plunger I31 carrying a roller I38 until the head I3'Ia of the plunger strikes a shoulder in the plate I34. To the lower end of each bar I30 screws I30 attach a plate I40 having a beveled surface I40a which may contact the roller I38 when the plate 1 I40 moves up when the lower support 30 is elevated. Therefore the roller I38 which then engages the plate I40 would hold the bar I30 practically perpendicular and against the side of a lever I50, the function of which is to be described. Screws I4I attach to the lower end of each bar I30, a wear piece or latch plate I42 having a stop surface ,I42a which, if the bar I30 were swung toward the plate I34, would ride over the top surface of plate I34. In such case downward thrust upon the lower support 30 while the hairpins are being forced through the core by the ram would be transmitted from the lower support through the bars I30 and their latch plates I42 to the plate I34 and then through the nut 29, posts 26, 21 to the plate 24, and thence to the base of the machine. When the lower support 30 is elevated the first time to move the nesting device containing the hairpins H immediately following this operation there is no thrust upon the hairpin H. Therefore, there is no occasion for causing the bars I30 to swing toward the plates I34. However, following the second upward movement of the support 30 which is followed by downward movement of the ram it is desirable to cause the bars I50 to push the bars I30 toward the plates I34 before the ram begins to engage the hairpins. To accomplish this the valve which controls the admission of pressure fiuid to the upper end of the cylinder A also causes pressure fluid to flow into the left end of the cylinder C (Fig. 6A) which is supported on the underside of plate 24 by screws I5I. As the piston in cylinder C moves right its rod I52 moves a plate I53 having a slot I54 receiving a pin I55. This causes movement of a toggle member I55 supporting the pin I55 from the position shown in Fig. 6A to that shown in Fig. 63, thereby tending to straighten the toggle link provided by parts I50 attached by pins I58 to a lever I50 and the link I59 connected by a pin I60 with member I56 and connected by pin I6I with the other lever I50. The levers I50 are by brackets I63 which screws I64 attach to the lower side of plate 24. Thus when the piston rod I52 moves right, the levers I50 move toward the bushings 25 at the time the lower support 30 is up. The plate I40 on the lower end of each bar I30 therefore moves from the position shown in Fig. 7A to that shown in Fig. 73 against the action of a spring I35, and the surface I42a of the latch plates I42 moves over the top surface of the plate I34. Therefore, while the ram is pressing the hairpins through the armature core the thrust upon the lower support is transmitted through the bars I30 to the plates I34.

When pressure fluid is admitted to the lower end of the cylinder A for the purpose of elevating the ram after the operation of forcing the hairpins through the core, pressure fluid is concurrently supplied to the right end of the cylinder C to cause the parts connected with the piston rod I52 to movefrom the positions shown in Fig. 63 to the positions shown in Fig. 6A whereupon the levers I50 move toward each other and the springs I35 push the plates I40 and the bars I30 toward each other so that the latching surfaces I42a of the plates I42s are clear of the plates I34. Then the pressure fluid is admitted to the upper end of the cylinder B to cause the lower support to move down carrying with it the assembled core and hairpins which are then removed from the workholder 40.

The pressure fluid circuits are not shown but it will be understood that the admission of pressure fluid 'to the ends of the lower cylinder B is controlled by lever I10 (Figs. 1 and 5) and that the admission of pressure fluid to the ends of the cylinders A and C is controlled by a lever I'II which operates a valve I'IIV. Plates I72 and I73 (Fig. 5) attached to table 24 bear legends which indicate respectively the direction which levers I10 and I'll are to be moved.

The removal of the work from the workholder is facilitated by the stripping of the workholder 40 from the branches of the hairpins H following the assembling operation shown in the right half of Fig. 17. The stripping is efiected by arresting downward movement of the armature shaft S while the workholder 40 is pulled by virtue of the admission of pressure fluid to the upper end of cylinder B. The piston or ram in cylinder B is connected with plate 32 by a piston rod I threadedly engaged by a coupling I8I having a flange I 82 and passing through a hole in the plate 32 and receiving a nut I83 the tightening of which clamps the plate 32 against the flange I82. Coupling I8I provides cams I84 and I85 engageable respectively with inclined surfaces I86 and I8! provided by plates I88 and I89 respectively. Each of these plates, for example, plate I88 shown in Figs. 22 and 23, has a lug I90 supporting a rod I9I which is received by the hole in a lug I92 of the other plate when the plates are assembled as shown in Fig. 21. Springs I04 which surround the rods IOI urge the plates (guided by rails I93) toward each other so that the inclined surfaces I86 and I8! would engage the piston rod I80 as shown in Fig. 20 (left half). Therefore when the cams I84 and I85 are not forcing the surfaces I86 and I8I apart, lugs I95 of the plates I88 and I89 are located in the path of downward movement of rods 200 which extend through holes in plate 32 and are attached to a plate 20I which carries a button 202 of the proper height for eagi'ne. the lower end --of the armature :shaft Spas the workholder 48 is caused to :descend by virtue-of the admission of pressure fluid .tothe upper end of cylinder B. When the workholder 40 had previously moved up, plate 32. carried with it the plate 2! and the pins 280 and cams I84 and I85 left the surfaces I88-and. 181 of plates I88 and I89 and the sprin s -I.94moved said surfaces together against the pistonrod I80 and caused thelugs I95 to belocatedunder the rods. 206. Therefore as the plate 32 moves down,

thereby arresting movement of; rthexcoregvzc while the workholder 48 continues, its. downward -movement. Thus the workholderlD-isstripped from the hairpins 'H and 'core ac as .shown by the'right half of Fig. 20. As the cams I84 and I85. of the coupling I8I engage the surfaces I86 and-I81 of the plates I88 and I89, the lug I95 are caused to move from I95 (full-lineslto I 95' (dot-dash line) on left half of Fig. '20yand from I95 (full lines) to I95 (dot-dash lines) :on 'the right half of Fig. 20 in which positions the lugs I95 are about to release the pins 208. When the plate 32 is moved down into engagement with the bars 24a on table 24, the cams I84 and I85 will push the surfaces I86 and I81 of plates I88 and I89 so far apart that the lugs I95 clear the ends of pins 286 and the plate "20I' and button 282 gravitates to the position shown in Fig. 9.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms -might be adopted, all'coming within the scope and arms in nested relation, a fixed upper support having an opening, means for moving the lower support vertically when supporting the nesting block loaded with hairpins,- to cause .nested -l1airpinssupportedtherebyto. move through the opening. in the upper. support,

means .:supported byv the .upper support for retaining the hairpins innested relation independently of the nesting :block, a manually operated member for rendering said retainin means effective whereby the lower support can be. loweredand the nesting block on the workthe ends through the .core. whilethe lo.wer.sup-

port is .in upper position, .and .means responsive tosaidimovement of the ram for effecting .retractionof said retaining means.

.2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized 1 by the provision ofmeans for latching the lower support in its upper position during operation of-the ram to force the. hairpins through the armature core.

. the lower support while the lower support is in positions within a range-above its lowermost position.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 .further characterized by the provision of means for stripping the workholder from the assembly of hairpins and core during retraction of the lower support and workholder from the upper support.

MAX E. TODD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of-this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,661,363 Elsey. Mar. 6, 1928 I 1,725,302 Riddle Aug. 20, 1929 1,973,803 Frauen Sept. 18, 1934 92,290,381 Pooleet al July 21, 1942 2,456,646 Patterson Dec. '21, 1948 

